This book is a collection of the misadventures of a failed wizard, a tourist and a sentient mimic chest and it is wild. Each scenario they find themselves in is more convoluted than the last, and while there is no overarching plot, the ride is genuinely entertaining. 

The lucky fool and happy-go-lucky sidekick trope is funny throughout and the world is really intriguing, however Pratchett’s worldbuilding is chaotic. Nothing really makes sense, however the world itself existing in such a state is believable. The style does fit the narrative, but I found myself being bombarded with terms constantly with little explanation. 

There were also points where the focus of the story would shift to a random character that we had never seen before. Sometimes these characters would end up crossing paths with the main cast, but other times they wouldn’t. It made the narrative more confusing when the focus would shift back and our trio would be somewhere totally different in another wild scenario. It made me feel like I missed something. Though this style didn’t resonate with me too well, it was entertaining. 

I look for an overarching narrative with great character moments sprinkled throughout and a satisfying conclusion. This story does contain a plethora of humorous moments, but lacks real character related ones. The ending is open-ended, so I might revisit this universe at some point to see what happens next, if not just for a fun time.

Initially Pratchett did not imagine this book to become the beginning of an entire universe, you can tell by the absurdity within, so I can forgive the lack of direction. It was a charming story with delightfully ridiculous moments, though it would have benefitted from a strong foundation and direction.